“Those of us who have survived the Saudi Aramco experience without needing therapy all have fantastic tales to tell.” So, in good humor, wrote Everard (Eddy) Edoo, Badge Number 168957, in a recent email to Aramco ExPats.

On January 28, 2018, the Association of Former Saudi Aramco Employees of Lahore, Pakistan gathered for their 127th party at one of the finest hotels in Lahore - Tabbaq. As this was their 4th party of the year, family including children were invited to attend.

Aramco annuitant Jimmy Churchill previously shared with us memorable experiences he had while living in Safaniya in the ’70s. Located off the Arabian Gulf coast north of Dhahran, Safaniya is famous as home to the largest offshore oil field in the world.

Shaikh Amin, retired chief photographer of Aramco, recently went on his yearly tour of the USA to attend the annual Photographic Society of America conference and spend time with his family and friends. In this photo, Shaikh sits with his Aramco friend Bert Seal along with Bert's daughter Lynda and Lynda's husband Stephen.

Anyone who once lived in Saudi Arabia while working for Aramco remembers the exceptional health care benefits the company provided. Those services reflected in the best possible way the company’s deep concern for the welfare of its people.

AramcoExpats.com, which is celebrating its 15th birthday this year, was an unexpected child. “I always had an interest in publishing, but never imagined I would end up in this field,” said Vicci Turner, who cofounded the digital publication for Aramcons past and present, and potential new employees, with her son Rusty Swayne in 2002. “Life is full of surprises!”

In August 2016 we introduced readers to ZeeMaps.com, a website that allows groups of individuals to enter information about where they live—anywhere in the world. That information is then graphically illustrated by colored balloons on a scalable map of the world.

"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” These are the words of Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations and, more recently, joint U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria.

Shaikh Amin, retired chief photographer of Aramco, recently went on his yearly tour of the USA to attend the annual Photographic Society of America conference and spend time with his family and friends. In this photo, Shaikh sits with his Aramco friend Mohammad Khokhar.

Aramco reunions are always fun as it brings back wonderful memories of our lives in Saudi Arabia. Forty-two former Aramcons living in and around Toronto, including one who came all the way from Cleveland, Ohio, came together at the Bombay Palace Hotel, in Brampton.

If you’re tasked this holiday season with feeding a house full of hungry kith and kin, here are some ideas you might find helpful. Always remember that holidays like Christmas and New Years are meant to be days of joy, of celebration, of love.

Several years ago, I attended a Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s home on Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle. On this special night he was hosting two dozen college exchange students from Denmark. It was the first Thanksgiving for most of them, and they were fascinated by the history and traditions associated with this most American of holidays.

This year on August 3, 2017, I made a brief trip to Toronto, Canada, by train from New York after a gap of 7 years to meet my old friends of Aramco who moved to Canada for permanent settlement after retirement. I stayed with the late Rashid Ahmed’s family who retired in 1988 from Saudi Aramco and moved to Brampton, Canada. I enjoyed my stay with the family very much as in the past.

The year 1967 was filled with memorable events. In America, “the hippies out in San Francisco” (to quote Merle Haggard) declared that summer to be “the Summer of Love.” For two readers of this newsletter, the fall of 1967 was, in contrast, their personal “Autumn of Love.”

Shaikh Amin, retired chief photographer of Aramco, is currently on his yearly tour of the USA to attend the annual Photographic Society of America conference and spend time with his family. In this photo, the family of Tariq Minhas joins Shaikh.

Over the years, we have been fortunate to feature the profiles of Aramco annuitants and brats from many different countries. This week, for the first time, we have the honor of profiling an ex-Aramcon from Italy, Annibale Bernardeschi, Badge Number 96147.